Zhao Xintong was crowned China’s first world snooker champion on a defining night for the sport in Sheffield and his vanquished opponent Mark Williams believes the sky is the limit for the new Crucible king.

Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship with a victory over Welshman and three-times winner Mark Williams at the Crucible Theatre on Monday, the latest chapter in Zhao's remarkable rise and fall story.

Mark Williams has amused snooker fans after the 50-year-old was pictured 'punching' Zhao Xintong following Monday's World Snooker Championship final. Zhao etched his name into the history books by winning 18-12 at the Crucible,